


A Twelfth Supernova

by SoneaKyraliana



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Piece
Genre: Future Slash, eventual slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:02:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28489485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoneaKyraliana/pseuds/SoneaKyraliana
Summary: A masked Captain with a very particular crew picks everyone's attention around a year and a half after the war at Marineford. No one knows their identity, but no one who crosses their path is left untouched. Just who exactly is the Midori no Tama and what do they want? Future slash.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 90





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve chosen to take advantage of New Year to post the stories that I’m feeling the most inspired about and that I’ve been pushing back posting for a while now. I’ve got the first few chapters of this one already written, and a whole arc planned and the beginnings of a second one. Still I’m not promising anything, so as always: read at your own risk.  
> Also, today is Daz Bonez’s (Mr 1) birthday! Actually, it’s also Portgas D. Ace’s birthday (and Might Guy’s in Naruto, who knew those three had anything in common eh?). Just a random fact that gave me the final push to post. You can totally ignore it.  
> This first chapter is more of a prologue, and really short too, unlike most of the prologues I usually write. I could’ve made it longer: it is longer in my mind. However, there would’ve been so many spoilers about the future of this story that I’ve decided against it. You can tell me if you want to read the rest of the conversation in a chapter further in the future or if you’d rather leave it to your imagination. And since this first chapter is sooo very short, I’m adding the next one too.  
> So as I always try to warn, this story will contain slash. If you don’t like it, just don’t read this.  
> Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think! Bye and happy New Year!

Chapter 1  
“Interesting.”  
“What is it, dear?” asked Rayleigh, curious.  
Usually, when something caught Shakky’s attention enough to be considered ‘interesting’, it meant something was happening that would change the current layout of the playing field ―like when the Mugiwara Crew first made it to the newspaper, when the Eleven Supernovas all made it to Sabaody at once or when the seas went crazy after Shirohige’s death―; she noticed those things before most did.  
Therefore, whenever she decided to comment on something, the ex-First Mate of the Roger Pirates made sure to pay close attention to what she said.  
“A new pirate crew.”  
“What does this one have to be worthy of interest?”  
“Well, the crewmembers themselves are interesting enough, but I’m more curious about their captain.”  
“Oh?”  
“I’m trying to figure out what kind of person he can be, to gather an assortment of people such as these under a common flag, but I can’t seem to manage. It’s a… unusual partnership, to say the least. Highly unlike, but my sources have confirmed it.”  
Rayleigh blinked, surprised. A crew Shakky couldn’t figure out was unusual enough. She’d often done so with no more help than a few newspaper clippings, so for her to have gathered information from other sources and still get nowhere? Well, that was unheard of.  
“Should we be worried?”  
“We? Hmm, no, not particularly.” She hummed slowly. “Now, the world as a whole? Definitely.”  
“…That’s not exactly reassuring.”  
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”  
The old man sighed fondly and gave in.  
“Tell me about them.”


	2. First Nakama

Chapter 2: First Nakama

Gin met his Captain on an Autumn Island at the Grand Line. Granted, at the time he had no idea of just how important the young man would become to him or how the casual encounter would shape his future beyond his wildest imagination.

The pirate had been staying at the island for the last three weeks, not really sure of what to do.

After splitting away from the Krieg Pirates, he had travelled the East Blue and found the beginnings of what seemed a promising crew. Soon enough, their captain decided it was time to head to the Grand Line.

A few close calls and some unsavoury people joining the crew had Gin realising it was time for their paths to separate. And he found himself alone in the Pirate’s Graveyard.

He hadn’t yet figured out what to do when he came upon an unusual sight at the market.

Off to the side in a back alley, a young man stood surrounded by four rough looking men. Well, he said young, but at the time it was nothing more than an assumption based on the height and short black hair, the stranger’s face hidden behind a white mask.

Gin had stood back and watched as the men taunted the youth and tried to rob him ―he was still a pirate and had nothing to do with what was going on, so why bother interfering?― only to get their asses handed back to them when the masked man defeated them with little fanfare.

The ex-First Mate of the Krieg Pirates took in every detail of the fight, from the way the youth’s red coat opened revealing the green shirt underneath when he moved to break a blonde’s nose to the way his black-clad legs flexed as he delivered a kick to another’s sternum or how he twisted out of the way of a tall brunette in a fast twirl to avoid his leg being cut and jumped over his back, using the momentum to slam his opponent’s head against his last standing foe’s.

It was only when one of the downed men levelled a shaky pistol at the man’s back that Gin’s eyes narrowed and he moved.

His tonfa intercepted the bullet before crashing down on the fool’s head, knocking him out.

“Thank you.”

The words were soft and politely spoken in a voice that he deemed male. Definitely a man, he thought. Unless it was an okama, which seemed all too common in the Grand Line.

“You’d already won fair and square.” Replied Gin with a nonchalant shrug, his tonfa resting against his shoulder.

“You still helped.” Said the stranger, staring at him.

Gin had a feeling he was being sized as otherworldly green eyes took in every detail about him. Instead of showing how unsettled he felt, the pirate returned his perusal, seeking any details he might have missed.

A dark red long coat draped over a lithe body, covering a leaf green shirt and black comfortable pants held up by a silver belt. His feet were clad in black boots and a plain black bandana hung around his neck. Dark slightly wavy hair framed his face, covered by the white mask.

The mask itself must have cost some money, since it was articulate, the lower half moving with the man’s jaw. It was otherwise rather plain, with the only decoration being two vertical black stripes across the eye holes.

His most striking feature wasn’t any of that: it was his eyes. Soulful and fathomless, those forest green depths were open with the emotions they conveyed, unlike the closed-off air the mask gave.

It was those eyes that prompted him to introduce himself.

“Name’s Gin.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Gin. You may call me whatever you like.”

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Gin and the newly dubbed Karasu ―meaning raven― bonded over a shared meal when the young man insisted on inviting him as a thank you for his help.

Karasu, Gin discovered, was a young pirate looking for a crew he could join, like him, with one small difference: he had a small boat on which he moved from island to island in search of his future nakamas.

Being able to sail the Grand Line like that could mean two things: he was strong or he was lucky. If it was the first, that’d be great, but if it was the second… well, luck only lasts so long.

Still, Gin was interested enough after the little he’d learned of him to risk it.

“So you’re also looking for a crew, Gin?”

“Yes. I split up from mine some time ago.”

“Why?”

“We wanted different things from life.”

“Would you like to come with me, then? Until you find yourself a crew or whatever.”

Gin arched an eyebrow.

“You’d let a man you know nothing about travel with you?”

“You seem like a good man, maybe a bit rugged but I guess that’s expected of a pirate, isn’t it? And traveling alone gets boring real fast.” Answered Karasu.

His eyes were eerily still then, as if they could look right at his soul and lay all his secrets bare to the world.

That’s how the ex-First Mate of Krieg’s Pirates joined Karasu.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Their acquaintance soon turned into friendship as they sailed through two more islands, getting in trouble and having fun as only pirates can do.

Gin learnt a lot about Karasu ―or Aiko, as the young man had offered his name when it became clear they wouldn’t be parting any time soon. Not about his past because Karasu never offered and Gin didn’t ask, bu about his unusual person.

His first impression hadn’t been wrong: he was young. Karasu was, in fact, only seventeen. He didn’t act his age, though, seeming at times too mature.

Also, he was definitely strong, as he proved when he defeated with barely any trouble a Devil Fruit user with some kind of control over wind.

The fact that he only got into that fight because the man had beat up Gin after he’d got offended or some shit spoke by itself. That he had a temper wasn’t up for questioning either.

But that strength hid a surprisingly gentle and forgiving nature. He’d watched Karasu give his food away to a couple of orphans with the same easy he’d beat up those four thugs the day they met.

So it was no surprise when Gin got, not only attached, but protective of the younger man. Without even realising it, Aiko had won the ‘Man-Demon’s’ loyalty; something hard to earn but even harder to loose.

His companion’s sigh brought him back to awareness and the twenty-six, soon to be twenty-seven, year old pirate looked at him questioningly.

“I think I’m going to fall asleep.”

Gin’s eyes widened and he reached out, just barely managing to catch Aiko before he fell. His lip quirked up a bit in fondness and he wondered how his friend had managed before he came along. Then he carefully dragged Karasu to a corner and settled on the floor to wait for him to wake up, his left shoulder serving as a pillow.

As he had discovered travelling with him, Karasu had a ‘mild’ case of narcolepsy. The first time he witnessed it, he’d fallen asleep whilst manning the boat. The second, he’d almost drowned in a bowl of miso.

Ignoring the looks passing people sent them, the pirate shook his head and looked down at the masked man leaning against his side. He had yet to ask about the mask, but seeing as he’d already decided to stick around for the foreseeable future, he didn’t see the sense in asking.

Aiko would tell him when he felt comfortable enough talking about it. Or he wouldn’t.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Aiko and Gin sat at a table near the tavern’s only window, two cups full of tea ―something the younger man had been very insistent he try―and with steam rising lazily from the surface resting between them.

The first was watching the snow fall like a heavy curtain over the little village outside whilst the latter was leaning back on his chair watching him.

They had docked at a small winter island a few days before, having seen the three pirate ships docked there. They had watched the crews for a while and soon decided not to get involved with them.

The one with a flag with flowers in its skull’s sockets had been weak, defeated on their first day at the island by the crew of pirates with three crosses on their flag.

The crew with the three crosses had been an unsavoury sort, bragging about their strength when only a couple of its members had any noteworthy bounty and it was only due to how violent they were and not any real skills on their part. They had left two days before, leaving only the crew with two knives as the resident pirate crew.

They had been approached by a member of the crew the day before and were offered a meeting with the captain. Their hopes were dashed soon.

As if the man’s arrogance and crassness hadn’t been off putting enough, the liberties he took by reaching to take off Aiko’s mask had upset Gin enough to have him slam the captain to the floor with his tonfa.

If Karasu was at all upset at being confronted by the crew for Gin’s hasty action, there was no visible sign of it.

The Man-Demon felt further reassured by the grateful gleam in those green eyes as Aiko announced that they were definitely not interested in joining such a crew.

That was how, after another disappointment, they found themselves at the small out of the way tavern.

“Why don’t you build up your own crew?” asked Gin seemingly out of nowhere.

It was something he’d been thinking for a while, but it caught his companion completely off guard.

“Build my own crew? As in me being the captain?”

Gin shrugged casually, as if saying ‘why not?’ Karasu was already shaking his head.

“That’d be easier if we were in one of the Blues, but people in the Grand Line look for crews that have already been established and shown strength. Besides, who would want to follow an inexperienced seventeen year old with barely any money and a fishing boat?”

Gin frowned. Of course, he was right, if one disregarded the fact that he would join him. There must be more people out there that would see the potential in following Aiko, right? They just had to find them.

“I won’t deny I’ve thought of it,” added Karasu in a low voice, as if he was voicing the thought for the first time. “but I concluded it would be better to join a crew first, learn the ropes. Maybe I’ll find good nakamas and just stay with them. Who knows? I’ll admit, though, I never thought it would be this difficult.”

Gin smiled in understanding. He’d joined Krieg the very same day he’d set out to sea and stayed loyal to him until the day he left, doing anything he was ordered despite his personal beliefs. Afterwards, he’d felt lost as he wondered around looking for a new crew. He’d found it, but he’d never felt truly comfortable with them and it hadn’t been so hard to leave when it became clear they wanted different things.

Now, Gin knew what he wanted, he just didn’t seem to find it. Which made building up a crew the most logical thing.

“Why don’t you build one up, instead?” shot back Aiko. “You’ve got the experience.”

“I’m not cut for leading.”

The twenty-seven year old was honest enough with himself to admit that, no, he was not captain material. But he seemed to have found someone who was and, now that it had taken root in his mind, the idea didn’t seem about to leave him anytime soon.

“Well, I guess we’re back at the beginning. We’ll have to keep looking.” Sighed the masked pirate.

Gin hummed non-committal, his head already spinning around an idea.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

“You know, that spot you’ve got on the side looks like the kanji for ‘happiness’.”

Gin almost sweat-dropped at his companion’s casual remark.

Forget any idea about following him: Aiko must be suicidal.

Still, his hands tightened around the handle of his tonfa, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

To his surprise, the Sea King reared back instead of immediately attacking, looking ―dare he say it― confused.

Gin almost had a heart attack when the beast, more than big enough to eat their whole boat and them and still have room to chew, had raised its head from the sea, now shadowed by the bulking shape of its underwater body.

And now he almost had a heart attack again when Aiko, with no regard to the razor sharp looking teeth, walked right up to the beast and raised himself on his tip-toes to tap a spot high up on its chest.

“This one.” Mused the masked man aloud. “If you draw two lines across it like this,” he continued following with his hands the two imaginary lines. “it would be a perfect match, don’t you think?”

The Sea King tilted its head to the side, its eyes looking at the youth in bewilderment. Those big red eyes darted to the older man for a moment, its expression spelling out clearly a question: ‘is he for real?’

Gin thought he understood how it felt. A worrisome thought.

“I think you should consider drawing it. What do you think, Gin?”

As Karasu turned on his heels to look at him, his eyes wide and curious and totally serious, the Man-Demon spoke without a thought to what left his mouth.

“I don’t think a Sea King had the right anatomy to do that.”

Both the beast and Karasu blinked at him, looking like kicked puppies. Just how did they do it when one of them hid his face behind a mask and the other wasn’t even human, he had no idea. The pirate’s grip on the tonfa tightened again.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Muttered Aiko.

In cursed in his head, his eyes widening as he saw the Sea King behind his companion visibly shake himself, angrier than when he’d first broken the water’s surface, and open its mouth, ready to swallow them whole.

“I could draw it for you.” Offered Aiko out of the blue, turning back to the animal.

That made the Sea King pause again, its mouth snapping shut.

“If you really want, I can do it for you. I’m not good at drawing, but it’s only two lines. It’ll be easy.”

The Sea King seemed to think about it before nodding vigorously, looking suddenly much happier.

“We’ve got no paint, though, so we’ll have to stop by an island and actually buy some.” Said Karasu rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Do you know where we can find an island nearby?”

The Sea King nodded again before diving underwater, its head poking out of the sea again right under their feet. Gin’s eyes widened when the small boat tilted precariously, now out of the water and on top of the beast’s head.

“Oh, you’re taking us to it? Great!”

The older pirate held onto the railing with a white-knuckled grip as they begun to move, picking up speed even as the wind beat at them. He must have gone wrong somewhere to end up following someone so crazy, even if he still didn’t know where it was.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

The Sea King became a permanent fixture after Karasu helped turn that random mark into the kanji for ‘happiness’ with the help of some waterproof paint.

It spent the following week strutting around showing off the mark like an oversized peacock, to the point that Gin had taken to calling it that. In the privacy of his head. It had a temper.

Gin himself spent the first day questioning his own sanity. After cracking a smile at the looks on the villagers’ faces when they saw them appear on top of an honest-to-God Sea King only to ask for paint as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

He had to admit, though, that it did look like the kanji for ‘happiness’, much to the thing’s obvious pleasure.

Once Aiko caved and named it ―Yuki, for ‘happiness’―, declaring that their new friend needed a name they could call it by, the twenty-seven year old knew they weren’t getting rid of it anytime soon. Worst of all was, the bloody thing grew on you.

And it was that way that they got a pet Sea King following them around like a puppy. A puppy that could rip you apart in a protective rage if he saw you as a threat to its new friends ―the smaller Sea King that attacked their boat a weak later would be able to confirm it if it weren’t serving as fish food at the depths of the sea, or at least the part Yuki didn’t eat might be―, but still a puppy.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

If Gin had still been looking for a crew they could join, he’d probably be regretting having Yuki with them. Or maybe not.

Yuki’s presence kept the weakest pirates away, which was good. On the downside, it also attracted a lot of attention from psychos and power-hungry fools that wanted to use Aiko’s apparent ability to ‘control’ a Sea King.

It had led to Gin suggesting that Yuki keep away from people’s sight as much as possible unless it was truly necessary. They didn’t want to attract the wrong sort of attention yet. It had been nothing they couldn’t deal with yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they came across some big fish.

So it was with a small pang of regret at how downtrodden the thing looked that he patted Yuki’s scaly neck where it rested on the sandy beach.

“Come on, don’t look so sad.” Comforted Aiko. “It’ll only be a few hours before we’re back.”

Yuki groaned pitifully and Gin sighed.

“In the meantime, you can hunt something for dinner.” Offered the Man-Demon shouldering his tonfa. “We’ll be back sooner if we don’t have to worry about getting something to eat.”

The Sea King perked up, looking at Karasu for confirmation. The younger pirate’s mask might cover his facial expressions, but his eyes were enough to tell them that he was smiling as he nodded.

A fiery glint of determination entered Yuki’s eyes before it ―or he, as Gin should start referring to him― dove back underwater, presumably to carry out his new task.

Exchanging an amused look, both humans set out to find the island’s nearest village.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Unfortunately, peace doesn’t usually last forever and it didn’t for them either.

As they were nearing Lulusia Island, a place dangerously close to the Marine Base G-2 ―too close for Gin’s peace of mind―, something happened that changed the course of whatever path they’d been on. Steamrolled right over it before derailing and hopping into a roller-coaster might be a more fitting description of what happened, truly.

Lulusia wouldn’t be visible for a while still when the sky darkened suddenly. It was almost like someone had turned off the sun. The sea had just begun to grow restless when Yuki emerged ahead of them, a keening whine coming from deep in its throat. His eyes looked panicked, but they had no time to wonder at its reason, for the sea under the boat started to swirl.

That was all the warning they got before they were launched towards the sky.


	3. Wyper and Raki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to all those who’ve followed or favorited this story and especially to those who’ve left a review. They really make my day, each and every one of them.  
> I wanted to address one thing: I’m not a fan of spoilers so I won’t publically answer any question that’d be one for what I’ve planned for this story. If you really want to know something, send me a PM and I’ll talk about it, but I’d rather not spoil any surprises yet hahaha  
> That said, here’s the next chapter for ‘A Twelfth Supernova’. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (And hey! If you know any good Harry Potter x Boku no Hero Academia Crossovers with Harry as the main character, let me know. I've read all I've found in AO3 and FanFiction.net but I can't seem to find one that's finished, most are on going or short and abandoned... Thanks!)

Chapter 3: Wyper and Raki

When Aisa came out of the Woods shouting that she had found a wounded man who needed help, he hadn’t known what to expect.

Picking her up to ensure they got there as fast as possible, they followed her directions to a small secluded beach.

As Aisa had said, there was a man there, lying face down on the white sand. There were marks imprinted on the ground, signalling that the body had recently been dragged from the water’s side, most probably by Nola, who now stood over him, her big head dwarfing the man’s body.

God took a step forward, but he stopped him from approaching. They couldn’t be sure that the man was really unconscious and not waiting for a chance to kill him. It was their job, as God’s Guards, to make sure that didn’t happen.

Aisa had been about to rush forward towards the man when he signalled for one of his fellow Guards to stop her too.

With a deep frown, Wyper crouched down next to Nola, his body blocking the man from the girl’s view. The stranger might be dead and there was no need for her to see it; the war was over and there was no sense in letting the children see any more of its pain and misery.

Reaching a hand out, he grabbed the foreigner’s ―for the lack of wings on his back spoke for itself― shoulder and turned him over onto his back. What met his eyes was unusual to say the least.

Since Enel’s defeat more than a year and a half previously, the only foreigners to step foot on Skypiea had been pirates. Few of them had been like the Mugiwara Crew.

It was something they had expected, quite honestly. The paths leading up to the Sky Islands were still too dangerous ―not to say unknown― for civilians to make their way there and, since they had nothing to do with the World Government, the marines didn’t bother with them either.

Of the pirates who had made their way to them ―traveling through the High West Route and losing most of the crew in the process―, most had been an unsavoury sort, a heavy contrast to the Mugiwaras, wanting nothing more than to take their riches which apparently meant the little gold they could find, their dials or their women. Not that they ever got far with any of the three.

Apart from the pirates, the only ones to have made it so far were the bounty hunters following them, who often weren’t much better than the guys they were pursuing.

This man ―Wyper was still unsure if that was the correct term, seeing as he didn’t look even as old as twenty― didn’t look like he fit in any of those two categories, but he’d hold back on his judgement. Appearances could be deceiving.

He was lean under the soaking wet clothing, with wavy black hair and pale skin that contrasted deeply with the freckles on his cheeks. His chest fell and rose weakly, so he was still alive, but it wouldn’t last long if they didn’t get him the right care as fast as possible.

The sound of footsteps alerted him to someone’s approach and the Shandia warrior looked up to see God kneeling carefully at the stranger’s other side, the sand clinging to his clothes.

Any protest he might have voiced died at the shift in God’s expression. Following his line of sight, Wyper found himself staring at the unconscious man once more, unsure of what had caught Gan Fall’s attention so firmly.

“Kamakiri, could you fetch Raki and tell her that her services are needed at my old house? We’ll take this young man there.”

Kamakiri nodded and hurried away to carry out God’s orders whilst Wyper’s frown deepened. Gan Fall looked pensieve as he brushed some hair away from the stranger’s forehead before looking at him.

Without a word, Wyper scooped the lax body up into his arms, the head lolling to the side until the foreigner’s face rested against his chest.

In the back of his mind, curiosity burned like a hot coal, even as he frowned in disapproval at whatever Gan Fall had planned.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

They didn’t have to wait long for Raki to appear and the woman got to work quickly, treating the stranger without asking questions.

After the war ended, Raki had opened a café with Conis. It was a popular place in the island. But it wasn’t so easy to leave behind the life of a warrior. Tired of all the death, but unable to truly leave all the fighting behind ―especially when most of hers and Conis’ clients were pirates and the blond didn’t know the first thing about fighting―, so she had asked the healers to teach her.

It turned out she had a natural talent as a doctor.

She had just told them her patient needed rest to recover and wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon when a groan warned them of the exact opposite. They all looked surprised when the foreigner’s eyes opened.

Breathtakingly vulnerable green eyes swept over them, hazy with pain even as their owner struggled to push away from the bed. He was quiet obviously in a bad shape, but he stubbornly pushed on. Raki’s hand on his chest, now covered by a blanket after they’d got him out of his soaking wet clothing, stopped him from sitting up.

“Young man, you need rest to recover.” Admonished Gan Fall in a gentle voice.

“Can’t…” moaned the young man, clearly feverish and maybe even delirious. “My- my nakama… he is… where-”

The people in the room exchanged a surprised look. Of all the things to be worried about in his state, his first thought was for his nakama and not himself.

Wyper was suddenly strongly reminded of another black-haired boy who passionately protected his nakama against all odds. The Mugiwara Crew had left them all with unforgettable memories and had marked each of them in a different way.

Perhaps that’s why Kalgara’s descendant found himself next to the bed’s edge, firmly pushing the young man down on the bed, his dark bottomless eyes peering down at him.

“I have to… my friend- Gin-”

Green held and ensnared black eyes, a kind of desperate hope in their depths.

“I will find your nakama.” A beat of silence. Watching, judging the sincerity. Heavy lidded eyes started to close. “Rest.”

The eyes closed completely, breathing slowing and muscles relaxing. Wyper stared a second longer. Nobody said anything as the warrior turned on his heel and stalked out of the house.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

When Raki walked out of the house to get some fresh air, she was assaulted by Aisa and Nola. The giant snake was wrapped around a tree, with her head alone resting on the ground and young Aisa perched on top of it.

“Raki, Raki! Has the man woken up? Is he alright? Wyper wouldn’t tell us! What’s wrong with him now? Where did he go? Why can’t we see-”

Tha Shandia woman chuckled as the child stopped to breath in deeply, preparing to deliver another barrage of questions. Raki held up a hand, though, and Aisa seemed to deflate before her very own eyes.

“The man is resting, Aisa. It is going to take a while before he recovers from nearly drowning.”

“That’s good.” Sighed the girl. “Why couldn’t Wyper say so? He left in a hurry and Kamakiri and Genbo didn’t explain either.”

“Well, the man woke up for a moment. Apparently, he has some nakama with him and Wyper has gone to find them.”

She didn’t share the scene she had witnessed, tough. The stranger’s desperation or how it had seem to awaken Wyper’s compassion seemed like something too private. Raki understood just too well how moving it had been.

“Oh. Nakama? Is he a pirate, then?”

“We don’t know, Aisa. He wasn’t awake that long…”

Or truly lucid.

Aisa released an explosive sigh before flopping back down on Nola’s head.

“Well, I won’t move from here until he wakes.”

“Really?” Raki gave a sly smile. “Aren’t you supposed to have a shift at the Rubber Band Land?”

“Oh, no! The boss won’t like it! Raki, don’t laugh! Ahhh! I gotta hurry!”

Slowly, as the girl’s exclamations got further and further away, her laughter diminished until it was but a soft chuckle. Nola raised her enormous head from the floor and Raki gently rubbed her scales. Nola’s curious eyes were on the house and the woman sighed.

“I have a feeling things will be changing around here soon, Nola.”

She wasn’t wrong.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

The first place Wyper and his two companions made their way to was the same place Aisa had found the foreigner at, on the sea’s shore. It didn’t take them long to realise their self-imposed task was going to be much harder than they’d thought.

They had nothing to go on. They didn’t know how many people they were looking for, whether they had suffered the same fate of the stranger or not or even how to recognise them if they did find them.

In the end, it seemed luck was on their side as they were notified that a stranger had appeared in the village asking for help in finding a companion from whom he’d got separated. It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

The three Shandia made their way to the village, following the Guard who’d delivered the information.

Upon arrival, Wyper took in the situation in the blink of an eye.

There was a man leaning against a stone wall, a Guard holding him up on the other side whilst a woman tried to treat the sluggishly bleeding wound on his shoulder even as he tried to get free of their grip.

“Wyper-sama!” called the guard. “This man needs medical care, but he’s refusing, sir! We didn’t know what to do!”

“I already told you: I’m fine. I need to find my friend.” Pressed the wounded man, a stubborn set to his jaw as he tried once more to take a step forward despite their protests.

The man himself attracted enough attention without adding the situation to the mix, thought the Shandia warrior studying him.

As if the telling lack of wings wasn’t enough to set him apart from the other inhabitants of the Sky Islands, his scruffy appearance marked him as an almost certain pirate. His wet attire consisted on white pants and a dark green shirt with a waist-high white and blue jacket, two red snakes drawn on each side. One of the long sleeves was ripped, showing the red gash slowly oozing blood.

He had dark spiky hair, barely held back by a white and blue headband, slanted eyes underlined with dark bags, a pointed nose and a wide mouth. The six o’clock shadow of a beard he wore and the two red ball earrings piercing his ears only added to his gruff appearance, making him look older than he probably was.

The warrior didn’t miss how his eyes swept over them in return, studying them just as carefully before speaking. His voice was still a rasp.

“Are you the authority around here?” Wyper raised an eyebrow, letting the foreigner take his non-answer as he wished. “My friend and I got separated when our ship got caught on an upwards water current. We lost our things in the accident, but if you’d help me find him I’d find a way to pay you back.”

Wyper was surprised, but made an effort not to show it. If he was telling the truth and they’d got there on the Knock-Up-Stream without wanting to, it was a miracle that they were even alive.

For a beat, nobody said anything, everyone looking between the stubborn man and the pensive warrior.

“There will be no need for that.” Finally declared the Shandia.

The stranger’s hands clenched into fists as a heavy frown creased his brow. He had quite obviously jumped to the wrong conclusion and he almost sighed. He’d never been the best with words.

“What Wyper meant to say with that,” intervened Kamakiri, sensing his friend’s annoyance. “is that there is no need to look for your friend because we have already found him.”

At his words, the stranger took a shaky step forward, his breathing heavy but hope barely hidden in his eyes. Still, there was wariness there.

“You’ve found Karasu?”

“Karasu?” repeated the warrior, his voice only half-interested. “Is that his name?”

Personally, Wyper thought he liked his own name for him better.

“We found him half-drowned and he’s still unconscious after receiving medical treatment, so we didn’t get his name.” explained Kamakiri.

“Is he alright?” asked the stranger, worry seeping into his voice. “Where is he? I want to-”

His words cut off abruptly as he wheezed, the hand that had held him upright against the wall flying to his wounded shoulder. The woman that had been trying to treat him slipped onto his side to stop him from falling with the Guard’s help.

“What nonsense are you speaking? You can’t go anywhere; you need treatment!” she exclaimed.

“I’m fine.” Pressed out the man. “I’d rather see my friend is too.” His eyes hadn’t left them. “Can you take me to him?”

“But-”

“Raki is there. She can treat his wound whilst he checks on his friend.” Offered Kamakiri. He was the most level-headed of them ―when Raki wasn’t there, as was the case― and Wyper’s most trusted, so it usually fell on him being their voice and this time was no different.

“That’s fine by me.” Agreed the stranger.

“How can we be sure he is who he says he is?” spoke up for the first time Genbo.

Genbo was a more silent kind of man, watching and only speaking up when he truly thought it necessary. As usual, he brought a good point to their attention.

“I’m not lying. He’s got black hair and the greenest eyes you’ve seen, right? With a white mask covering his face.”

“Mask?” repeated Wyper with an arched eyebrow. “There was no mask on him.”

The pirate frowned, but didn’t seem deterred.

“Must have lost it in the sea.” He muttered, more to himself than to them.

Wyper almost sighed. They were getting nowhere with this.

“We’ll keep an eye on him and if he steps out of line… well, we’ll deal with him.” Said Kalgara’s descendant in a low voice, an undercurrent of finality on his tone.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

“May I know the name of my patient?” asked Raki as she guided the man to a chair.

“Gin.” Offered the stranger as the Shandia woman signalled for him to take off his shirt.

“I’m Raki.” She said in return, busying herself with getting her supplies ready. “Are you a pirate, Gin?”

She wasn’t even trying to be subtle in her digging for information, too curious after her fellow Guards explained the situation to her. Besides, this man didn’t seem the kind to appreciate underhanded tactics, more the kind to close off.

A slow nod was her answer.

“Where’s your crew?”

“It’s just Karasu and I, for now.”

Raki hummed under her breath, taking a seat before him with a wet cloth.

“Ah, yes, my mystery patient. He was rather distraught when he woke, wanted to up and leave to search for his nakama. He wasn’t in any state to do so and it took Wyper offering to find you for him to calm down and fall asleep. You must be real close; how did you meet?”

As she spoke, the woman cleaned out the wound on his shoulder from dried blood and anything that may have got in it, revealing a long cut, not too deep. Good, it wasn’t anything serious, despite how much it had bled. A few stitched and he would be fine as long as no infection set in.

“Lent him a hand when a few idiots tried to rob him; not that he needed it. I’d just split up from my former crew and he offered to let me accompany him till I found another one. Been travelling with him since then.”

“When was that?”

“A little over a month ago.”

His answer made her look up from the open cut, surprised. A month and they were willing to risk their health for the other? Her emotions must be written all over her face, for his lips quirked up a little in the corners.

“It’s difficult to explain, but… he’s different. Gets under your skin.”

The small wince when he shrugged his shoulders brought her back to the task at hand.

“Don’t move.” Her voice commanding. “I’m going to stitch it up and put some salve on it to prevent an infection.”

Gin nodded, refusing anything for the pain and gritting his teeth against it as she got started.

“What kind of person can inspire such loyalty?” asked Raki, even though she could easily recall having met someone similar not that long ago.

She didn’t get an answer and, when she looked up at her patient after finishing the stitches, she found him staring at the wall with a faraway look.

“Well, you can see him when I finish with you. I have to check on his fever, either way.” She conceded, getting the needed ointment.

“I’d rather wait until he wakes up.”

Once more, she was surprised.

“I thought you’d want to see him as soon as possible. Kamakiri said you even refused to get your wound treated.”

“The other one ―Wyper?―, he said Karasu’s mask was missing. I’ll not invade his privacy by entering his room now.”

“You mean you’ve never seen him without a mask? You don’t know what he looks like?”

The pirate shook his head.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Curiosity or not, he wore that mask for a reason. I’ll find out when and if he wants.”

As she finished bandaging his shoulder, she almost asked him whether all pirates from the Blue Sea Below were so inspiring, but she knew from her work in hers and Conis’ café that they weren’t.

Still, it did make her wonder what other marvels could be found there.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Not far from them, the door being the only barrier separating them, Wyper pushed away from the wall and took a long drag from his cigarette before blowing the smoke slowly.

As he left, Kalgara’s descendant wasn’t aware that his thoughts were being mirrored by the Shandia woman’s in that very instant.


	4. Nola

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to all who favorited and followed this story and especially to those who left a review! I'm always so happy each time I get one!
> 
> Also, I'm sorry I didn't post this yesterday. I published it on fanfiction.net and then I forgot to post it here too. I'm such a disaster... But as soon as I woke up, my first thought was that I hadn't posted it here, so at least it didn't take more than a few hours hehehe
> 
> Well, I don’t want to keep you any longer, so I hope you enjoy the new chapter and thanks for reading!

Chapter 4: Nola

The sound of footsteps warned him of his impending company, the Shandia pausing a moment in lighting a cigar before recognising the cadence and their owner with it. It may have been three weeks since he met Midori, but sometimes it felt like a lifetime.

When the younger man had woken up, not long after his fever died down, he had confirmed the pirate’s story. God had then proceeded to explain where they were and how they thought they had got there. That surviving the Knock-Up-Stream had been a miracle was also mentioned.

Gan Fall had been unusually accommodating of the men he’d named as his guests, going out of his way and over what was expected of him as God like he hadn’t done since the war ended and the Mugiwaras departed. Wyper thought it was highly suspicious of the old man. He wasn’t the only one.

Once he had recovered enough, Raki had taken it upon herself to show the two men around the island. Wyper went with them for security reasons, or so Gan Fall explained it when he suggested the warrior go along with them. Wyper may have put up more of a fight if he had found Midori’s company more… undesirable.

It didn’t hurt that Midori had a seemingly insatiable curiosity about the world around him, which extended to him wanting to know as much as possible about the Shandia Culture.

Raki had regaled him with tales of their people that had held his attention for hours on end. Midori was a good listener.

And whenever he wasn’t listening to a story or exploring the island with Gin, Midori could be found in the company of Arisa and Nola. The giant snake was even more taken with the young man than the girl herself, since he apparently could actually understand her. She usually followed him around like an overgrown and mortally dangerous pet.

Wyper hadn’t missed Gin’s comment of it being a trend, even if he still didn’t know the meaning behind it.

Turning his head towards him, he let Midori know he was listening without leaving his seat at the foot of a tree. He didn’t prompt him to speak, waiting for the young man to settle next to him.

“Braham has gone to ring the Bell again.” Midori’s voice was full of curiosity. “Why is it so important?”

So Wyper spoke passionately of his ancestor Kalgara and his friend Noland, of how they met, what they did, the regrets they died with… he told him of the promise that Bell represented and how he had the certainty that Noland’s descendant still lived and heard it.

At some point of the story, they were joined by Nola, the snake surprisingly silent for a beast of its size. Wyper knew she never missed a chance to listen to this particular story, so he wasn’t surprised when she sat her head next to Midori, the young man rubbing her scales without prompting.

When he finished the story, Wyper turned fully towards Midori and waited, curious about what he would draw out of it even if it didn’t show in his face.

The youth was staring thoughtfully at the shore, only a few meters from where they were sat at the end of the treeline. His startling green eyes swirled with his feelings, more revealing than eyes had a right to be, but Wyper still felt a short twinge of disappointment at the black bandana that constantly hid the lower half of his face.

“You have to promise me something.” Said Midori.

The Shandia warrior arched an eyebrow, interested.

“When you visit the Blue Seas, you’ll pay me a visit, alright?”

“Why would I do that?” blinked the older man.

“Because we’re friends.”

Wyper ignored the emotions the words stirred within him, even as the corner of his lips curled upwards at how much sincerity and simplicity went into the statement.

“Why would I visit the Blue Seas?” he clarified.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You’ve got unfinished business there.” Said Midori, trying to explain his reasoning. “I mean, it’s obvious you feel strongly about Kalgara and Noland and you’ll end up regretting it if you don’t at least try to find this Cricket fellow, right? And you want to find out what’s become of the Mugiwara Crew. There’s also that pillar Raki said a pirate stole last year… Besides, aren’t you even a little curious? This is only half the island that your ancestors inhabited, a small piece of their world.”

Wyper couldn’t argue that logic. It was like Midori had just given voice to all the longing that had been building up within him since the war with Enel ended. Suddenly overwhelmed, Kalgara’s descendant swallowed and looked away towards the sea.

He carefully avoided making any promise.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Raki looked on in amusement as Gin examined the weapons with a frown. The pirate had lost his ‘tonfa’, whatever they were, upon their arrival at Skypiea.

One had got lost on the Knock-Up-Stream, whilst he had managed to hold onto the other until he resurfaced, when he’d been forced to let it sink into the ocean or drown from its weight, the weapon hindering him as he swam to shore with a wounded shoulder from the wood of their boat cracking at the current’s pressure.

“You won’t find better weapons in the whole island.” She said.

Gin sighed, running a hand through his hair, for once not held back by his typical bandana.

“I’m a decent shot. I guess one of these will have to do until we’re back down.” He said examining a Flame Gun, a flintlock similar in design to the Flash Guns but working like a Flame Bazooka, just less potent.

“You’ll have to train a little, though. Its kick is a bit harder than the pistols you’re probably used to.” explained the woman.

Gin nodded, acknowledging she had more knowledge in this matter than him. He would take her advice to heart and practice later.

His new temporary weapon chosen, they left the shop to find Midori sitting next to Kamakiri in a bench near the shop, a gaggle of children surrounding them. As they approached, they realised with amusement that ‘someone’ had roped the Shandia into a retelling of one of their tribe legends.

Quietly, they settled near them to wait for the story to end.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Midori seemed to love all kind of stories, from what the people of Skypiea had been able to see. He never turned down a chance to listen to a new one, managing to stay an avid listener even during a retelling and displaying predilection for adventure and piracy accounts.

Novody was truly surprised anymore when Gan Fall obliged the young man by talking of the many pirates to have sailed through the Cloud Sea, but they would be lying if they said they weren’t surprised to learn he’d met the Pirate King.

There was a strange shine in the old God’s eyes when he spoke of Roger to young Midori, respect and amazement and wistfulness all mixed in his voice.

It was on one of those sessions of story-telling that Gan Fall spoke of Monkey D. Luffy and they all noticed Gin’s head shoot up.

“The sea is so big and yet it seems so small sometimes…” had mused Gan Fall when Gin confessed to having met the Mugiwara Crew when it was half its current size and about to make its way into the Grand Line.

Wyper agreed with the old man.

Conis, eagerly leaning forward from behind the bartop of hers and Raki’s cafeteria, didn’t waste a second before asking for her friend’s whereabouts.

Much to their consternation, they received confirmation of all those rumours about the death of Luffy’s brother and all the circumstances revolving around it.

“Last I heard, the Mugiwaras haven’t been spotted for near on two years. They say the crew has been disbanded.”

“You don’t sound so sure of it yourself.” Observed Raki from her seat.

“I didn’t know Luffy and the others all that long, but if I learnt something in that time, it’s that they’re not like most pirates. They’re not the kind to give up.”

“Of course not!” jumped Conis. “Luffy and the guys won’t give up, no matter the odds. I have faith that we will hear from them again.”

For a moment, there was only silence as they all digested her words and realised that they too were certain of this. It was Midori who broke that silence, his green eyes impossibly bright as he stared at the God’s Guards.

“So what was Mugiwara no Luffy doing in Skypiea?”

That had led to a retelling of the war with Enel and how a crew of pirates had put an end to a feud spanning the last four hundred years.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

When Raki saw a young man exit the forest with a bone-white mask covering his face, she stopped and stared. It was a warrior mask, covering everything but the user’s lower chin. The black and brown tribal pattern on its otherwise clear surface was familiar, as was the red fur that lined its sides and top and blended with what she assumed to be its owner’s black hair.

Then she recognised Midori’s clothes and green eyes, who was in Wyper’s company. Nola wasn’t far behind the duo.

She arched an eyebrow at her fellow Guard, but Wyper grunted and looked away.

“I like the mask.” She commented casually.

“Thanks! Wyper got it for me.”

Said man carefully avoided her eyes by focusing on patting Nola’s snout where she had slithered behind them and Raki contained a snort.

“Right! It suits you.”

She refrained from mentioning that only Shandia warriors were ever allowed to wear those masks and decided instead to steer to a safer topic.

“You went exploring, then?”

“Yeah, Wyper showed me the Bell today. It’s really beautiful. Your people sure were lucky to be tasked with protecting something so amazing!”

Alright, it seemed like there was no safe topic with those two.

That Wyper didn’t mind the story of Kalgara’s and Noland’s friendship to an outsider due to the respect they showed their culture and history, she could understand. That he deemed Midori worthy of wearing the traditional mask that a Shandia received upon becoming a warrior, she could ignore. That he also took that same young man to visit the Sacred Bell after outsiders had been forbidden when that blond pirate wounded two of their comrades to steal a golden pillar a year before…

How did the saying go? Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, thrice is enemy action.

‘Or well, not enemy, per se.’ she thought a bit dryly.

Kalgara’s descendant truly.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

Wyper was in a fool mood.

Anyone who knew him even just a little would be able to tell by taking a look at his face.

Nola might be a giant snake and therefore more often than not confused the expressions on the faces of humans, with all those little telling twitches of lips and eyes and even noses and cheeks ―let’s not get her started on the matter of eyebrows… why did they even need hair over their eyes? Strange creatures, humans were.

Thing is she might not always understand what their expressions meant, but near four hundred years of little snippets here and there of Kalgara’s descendants and even she was familiar enough to understand.

Nola knew Wyper’s temper better than most; in that, he was too alike to his ancestor.

It was a few days before their new friends were set to leave ―and she couldn’t say she was happy about that either― and Nola had been sniffing out her new favourite human when she came across the Shandia warrior brooding as he checked his dials.

She stopped, pondering if it was worth bothering him in such a mood and decided that, no, it wasn’t. She wanted rubs and the one that spoke her tongue gave the best. No need to pester Wyper.

But as she was about to leave, she’d picked up the smell of Midori’s nest-mate-not-mate. Midori had tried to explain the concept of friends and nakama to her, but she’d only understood that it meant they were nest-mates, but weren’t mates either. Yeah, confusing.

Nola decided she’d wait and follow him. Eventually, he’d lead her to Midori, unless the human was in the city again, then she’d pout until he came back. The city streets weren’t big enough for her and, frankly, the place smelt to her. Apparently, humans had a very underdeveloped sense of smell.

So she watched and listened and winced when Wyper’s mood took a turn for the worse.

She sighed, a very human gesture she’d picked up along the years. She wanted a rub and this didn’t seem to be getting her any nearer to it.

Sniffing the air, she left the two men in the forest and followed her senses to Midori. If he was going to be leaving soon, she’d better get as many of those nice rubbings and scrubbings he gave her as she could possibly get. And maybe see if she could convince him to bring her with him.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

“You are considering joining them.”

Gan Fall’s words startled him, but Wyper refused to let it show. He’d already suspected something when the old man insisted on going for a walk amd asked him to join him.

“Your old age seems to finally be catching up to you.” He grunted.

Gan Fall simply chuckled.

“It is understandable.” Continued the old man. “Anyone else in your position would already have jumped at the chance, if they had some brain.”

Wyper wasn’t sure whether he was insulting his intelligence or remarking on him not being like the others, but he already didn’t like where this was going.

“Really? And why would that be?”

“You’ve got the perfect chance to see to that unfinished business you have in the Blue Seas and sate your curiosity at the same time. It’s not an opportunity that will present itself again; it’s more the kind you get once in a lifetime. I had it too, you know? More than twenty years ago. I turned it down for the same reasons that you are now thinking of turning it down for and, although I can’t say I regret it exactly, I’ll always wonder: ‘what if’…”

“I’m not you, old man; don’t start drawing baseless comparisons between us out of nowhere.”

Rather than getting offended, the God smiled and looked off towards the sea.

“Perhaps they are baseless, perhaps not… but I think you should consider it carefully, Wyper. You love this island and its people and are proud of them, eager to defend them with your life. And yet you’re curious about what else could be out there, what more there could be that would be worth protecting. And that’s only part of it.”

The Shandia warrior refused to give him the pleasure of a verbal confirmation.

“And going with them doesn’t mean you can’t come back whenever you tire of the Blue Sea. Even if you do become a pirate. Skypiea isn’t affiliated with the World Government, after all.”

“Why are you so insistent that I go? That I abandon my duty to my people?” asked the younger man, eyes narrowed.

“Ah, duty… Duty and honour are often the biggest obstacles in the path to happiness. Your duty to your people is done, Wyper. You’ve given them peace and hope for the first time in four hundred years. Your people and my people don’t exist anymore; they’re now our people and I think they’d agree that you deserve this chance.”

“I still don’t see why you’re so insistent.”

“Part of it is what I’ve already told you: you can gain much by joining them. Another part of me, I confess, simply hopes that you’ll be able to help and protect young Midori.”

“Midori… what do you know?”

“I know nothing for sure.” Replied Gan Fall promptly.

“But you suspect.” Accused the Shandia.

“…Yes, I do. If Midori is who I think he is, going with him, helping him, will be worth it. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how everything unfolds.”

“Who is he?”

“If you go with him, you’ll discover it in due time.”

Wyper narrowed his eyes again as the old man kept playing on his curiosity.

“If it would make you feel better, I could word it as a mission for your God.”

The man glared at Gan Fall and he sighed.

“It is your choice, Wyper, but consider it. Don’t let your stubborn pride get in the way of what you want. If you do join them, though, I daresay you won’t regret it.”

The God fell silent and rose to leave, deciding to give the warrior the chance to be alone with his thoughts, but stopped as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh, yes, apparently Nola has decided to go with them. I think it was something along the lines of getting to see her birthplace again and getting good rubs.”

The younger warrior stared.

“Nola. The giant serpent.” He said slowly, as if he thought the man was just playing a tasteless joke that he simply didn’t get. “The snake that’s bigger than a building and certainly any ship?”

“She’s now the size of a small waver.”

Wyper cursed his curiosity.

HPOPHPOPHPOPHPOP

The sleek Dial Boat that Gan Fall had prepared for them barely bobbed in the sea of clouds, still docked as they made sure everything was ready for their imminent departure.

The ship was big enough to fit them all comfortably with some room to spare, but it had nothing on most of the pirate ships that visited the sky island. It didn’t need to be, either, since it was only meant to take them down to the Blue Sea and to the nearest island where they’d be able to purchase a proper ship. Gan Fall had, of course, had a few suggestions in regards to that.

The old meddlesome man seemed too invested in this venture not to raise his suspicions.

Wyper strolled past Gin without a word, dropping his bag on the deck of the small ship and staring out to the sea. The older man hadn’t said anything when the Shandia had started to prepare for departure two days before, but he still knew that Gin was pleased.

Surprisingly ―to him― none of his fellows had seemed truly all that surprised when he’d told them he was joining Midori and Gin and entrusting them to protect their land until a time came when he chose to come back.

Kamakiri had taken over command of the God’s Guard in Wyper’s name, a solemn promise in his eyes.

A few teasing comments about finally getting their ‘first Shandia Pirate’ might have been thrown around too.

The only one whose reaction had been unexpected was Raki. The warrior woman turned doctor and barmaid hadn’t said anything at all.

Midori stood leaning on the railing as the last provisions were brought on board by their oldest companion and his eyes told him that he was frowning under his mask. The warrior was certain he’d never meet anyone else with such expressive eyes.

It was curious how the mask worked so well to hide his features yet did nothing to hide his emotions.

It didn’t erase the fact that he’d rather the young man wore no mask, but Midori had started looking to purchase a new one before he’d gifted this one to him.

For a second, he grimaced at the memory of the red and blue monstrosity he’d seen him eyeing in the market. A Shandia Warrior Mask was definitely an improvement over that.

The green-eyed youth was fingering the black bandana tied to his neck as he watched the forest line.

“Do you think Raki is angry?”

Wyper shrugged, a scowl forming on his brow. He’d never understand that woman.

“I don’t see why she should be.” He said instead.

His attention was pulled back to the people gathered on the small dock by Nola’s pitiful whining as she alternated between hounding Aisa and Conis.

“If you’re gonna be so whiny, you should simply stay here, Nola.” Snapped Wyper, irritation working to cover the understanding he shared with the snake.

“Nobody’s forcing you to come with us.”

Immediately, the snake reared her head back and directed a hissy fit at him that he was glad Midori didn’t translate. The meaning was still clear as the snake slithered onto the ship and made herself at home on the deck, ignoring the snickers directed at her.

The fact that she was now the size of a waver had lost her a good portion of her intimidation technique to those who’d dealt with her when she was her normal size.

Goodbyes were exchanged and a few last minute pieces of advice and well wishes exchanged before they finally set out towards the End of the Cloud Sea where they’d be making their way down. All the while, Midori looked like a kicked puppy, in Wyper’s and Gin’s honest opinion.

“I can’t believe that woman didn’t even show up to see us off.” Muttered Wyper.

“Talking to yourself isn’t a sign of good mental health, you know?”

The warrior would deny to his dying day that he was actually surprised to see her walk out of the main cabin.

“Raki!” exclaimed Midori with a smile.

“So you’ve decided to come.” Hummed Gin.

“Well, of course, someone has to patch you all up when you inevitably get into trouble.” Replied the woman casting a smug look at her fellow Shandia.

As Nola enthusiastically greeted her, Wyper huffed and looked away. It looked like he wasn’t the only one too curious for his own good.


End file.
